Cooks River Birds – 6 May 2018

Another enjoyable day observing and photographing local birdlife. I cycled down to the Cooks River and then along to the Boat Harbour. Quite a few Cormorants were around, but I started watching a Striated Heron.

It seemed to be ready to pounce at a fish. So I too got ready with my camera. I was lucky to get a nice sequence of shots as it dived – 

I got my shots, but the Heron prey got away –

Then I got a few more shots of the Heron in flight –

Meanwhile, the Cormorants had left the protected area at the Boat Harbour and were swimming around hunting for fish. Little Black Cormorants seem to hunt in a group.

The Heron flew down close to them. Other birds seem to do this too – hoping to get some of the fish fleeing from the Cormorants.

Both the Cormorants and the Heron seemed to be having no luck with their fishing. The Heron stretched its neck, had a shake and then left the area –

The Cormorants then moved to the main river. This time it was a Great Egret that watched them very closely wanting a bit of the action –

I took a few shots of the Cormorants in flight –

And the Egret –

Next was a Pelican taking off and joining some others at the protected area. They take a lot of effort to get into the air –

The Cormorants had given up their fishing, and where now sitting either in the protected area or on the boom. Lots of them!

I then cycled down the river. I spotted an Egret, perhaps the same one I had seen upstream, doing some more fishing –

As I was about to leave, I saw a bird do a very steep dive into the water. A Gannet or something? It turned out to be a Caspian Tern.

I didn’t see anything else interesting until I got to Tempe Reserve. There was another large gulp of Little Black Cormorants out fishing –

This time it was Silver Gulls watching closely.

Flying overhead was a Crested Tern diving down and catching fish –

I then headed to the Tempe Wetlands. There were not too many birds active, but I did spot a Rufous Fantail, the first I have seen there –

And  a Grey Fantail –

And the more common New Holland Honeyeaters –

After this I did another loop around Tempe Reserve and then headed to Barton Park. I continued all the way to Botany Bay for fish and chips for lunch. There are often diving birds where the Cooks River joins Botany Bay, but not today, so I cycled back to the Landing Lights Wetland.

There I saw a lot of White Faced Herons –

And the usual residents, Black Winged Stilts –

Welcome Swallows –

And some, not so common, a Black-Fronted Dotterel

It was then time to head home.